The present invention relates in general to boat tops that can be adjusted. More specifically, the present invention includes an adjustable boat top that can be lowered sufficiently close to the surface of the boat, for example, to permit the boat to travel under bridges and other obstructions that would otherwise preclude the movement and passage of a boat due to the height of a boat top.
Conventional boat tops provide protection from rain, intense sunlight, and other environmental factors. However, in many instances, a boat top may be a hindrance to a boater. A boat top can make the boat taller than it otherwise would be. Sometimes a boat cannot travel to a particular destination because of a bridge, low hanging tree branches, or other obstruction. It is often desirable to have the option of lowering the boat top to avoid such obstructions, while still allowing the boat to function in a normal manner.
Some adjustable boat tops are known, but there are several significant limitations with the existing art. Many such adjustable tops or covers do not permit the boat to operate in its normal manner when the top is adjusted or lowered. It is desirable for an adjustable top to have minimal impact on the operation of the boat.
Further, many adjustable tops or covers require that the top be folded, substantially altered, or even removed entirely from the boat in order to lower the top or cover. The lowering or raising of such boat tops or covers often requires a significant amount of time and effort on the part of the boater. Such functionality can also limit the potential strength of the boat top. It is desirable that an adjustable boat top require minimal time and effort to raise or lower the boat top. It is also desirable for the ability to raise or lower the boat top to have minimal impact with respect to the strength or rigidity of the boat top.
Moreover, adjustable tops in the existing art often impede a boater""s use of the sides of the boat when the top is lowered. For example, in some prior art boat tops, one cannot fish off the side of a boat that has a lowered boat top. Such boats commonly have tops connected at the outermost edges of the boat. It is desirable for an adjustable boat top to be connected to the surface of the boat within the outer edges of the boat so that the sides of the boat are usable even when the boat top is in a fully lowered position.
This invention relates in general to an adjustable boat top, which can be lowered closer to the surface of the boat in order to permit the boat to travel under bridges and other obstructions that may otherwise preclude the movement of the boat.
The boat top is lowered as the boat top slides forward towards the front to the boat. The top frame of the boat top is supported by a forward frame and a rearward frame, both of which are connected to pivot structures on the deck surface. The pivot structures are unlocked so that the forward frame and rearward frame can pivot forward, allowing the boat top to be lowered. The process can be reversed, raising the top by pivoting the forward frame and rearward frame rearward. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the raising and lowering of the boat top is powered by a hydraulic piston. In alternative embodiments, the raising and lowering of the boat top can be done manually. The area of the boat vertically down from the pivots up to the top frame, and horizontally in from the pivot structures out to the edges of the boat, may be left unimpeded or obstructed by the boat top in either raised or lowered positions.